School board filing period opens

Nov 28, 2012 (The Woodward News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Those wishing to run for open school board positions in Woodward County will have to file their candidacy between Dec. 3 and Dec. 5 at the county election board office.

School board elections will be held on Feb. 12, 2013 and there are open positions in each of the 4 public school districts in Woodward County:
--Woodward Public Schools--office no. 3
--Mooreland Public Schools--office no. 3
--Sharon-Mutual Public Schools--office no. 3
--Fort Supply Public Schools--office no. 3, as well as elections for the unexpired terms in offices no. 1 and no. 2
There is also an open position for the Zone 1 seat on the High Plains Technology Center Board of Education.

"All the filing is done at the Election Board office, in the courthouse basement," said Carol Carrell, secretary of the Woodward County Election Board.

There are a couple of main requirements to hold a school board office, Carrell said. One is that the candidate has lived in the district where they are running at least 6 months. Candidates must also be registered voters themselves in order to file, she said.

If no one files for a specific position, Carrell said the matter will go back to the respective school board for action.

"They usually appoint someone," she said.

If only one person files for a seat, the candidate will automatically be declared the winner of the election without a vote, Carrell said.

However, if 2 or more persons file for any position, the matter will go to the people for a vote on Feb. 12. The winner will be decided by a simple majority vote.

"If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the total votes cast in this election, the two candidates who received the highest number of votes will meet in a run-off election on April 2," Carrell said.